AUBURN -- Joshua Holsey desperately wants to be part of the Tigers' solution in the defensive backfield.

A strong performance against LSU has all but assured him of a chance to earn steady work with the varsity defense.

The freshman cornerback played approximately 30 snaps in the Tigers' 12-10 loss, which gave coach Gene Chizik and defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder an opportunity to begin making meaningful assessments. Their conclusion?

The kid can play.

"You're looking at the evolution of a young guy starting to learn the defense and play with confidence," Chizik said. "He's been productive on special teams. As a skill guy, that's our first sign that he's ready to take on more. That's what he did."

Holsey worked exclusively with the Tigers' kickoff- and punt-coverage teams during Auburn's first three games. He made some aggressive plays both on the ball and away from it that piqued the interest of special teams coach Jay Boulware.